Purpose
by Dina
Summary: Families are a great thing to have but sometimes they are not what they seem to be. Together with a case their lives become a bit difficult.TATE story.
1. Chapter 1

I don't own NCIS. DPB and some others do. That disclaimer is probably enough.

I hope you will like this story. It's a bit unusual but I hope you'll like it. Good or bad reviews are welcomed. I want to improve myself so don't feel afraid to say what you want.

……………One day many years ago……………

"This is the last time you'll ever see me or your children! I want you to get out of our lives and never ever come back into them. We're better off without you." A woman told a man. Both looked very angry and the tension was getting more intense by the second.

"I'll fight you. Until I'll die. I have a job and more money than you. You'll never win." The man told the woman.

"I don't hit my wife and children. You do. You'll never win. We never want to see you again so don't go and look after us again because then I will call the police." The woman told the man.

"You've always said that but never called them. You don't have the guts to do it now either. I'll get custody over my daughters and they'll never see you again." The man told the woman.

"We'll see about that. Now get out of here." The woman yelled to him.

"Until you'll die you'll always be Mrs Finley." The man told her before turning around.

"Don't threaten me. I will always be Emma but not Mrs Finley. I threw the ring a long time ago." The woman yelled as the man walked away.

…………………………………………………………………………………………

………….At the same time……….

"I love you. I'll pick you up at your aunt's house after work. Be nice now." The woman told her children.

"I will." The eldest child answered.

"Me too." The youngest one then said.

"We have two great boys here…Your sister is home all day, right?" the man asked his wife.

"All day." The woman said before giving her two sons their final goodbye.

…………Later that day………..

"Mr Dinozzo, I'm so sorry but your wife died on the operating table. She had severe head trauma and other injuries. Do you want some help in contacting your family?"

"She was just going to pick up our sons…Grace can't be dead…" the man said not wanting to believe it.

"I'm so sorry." The doctor told him.

……………Four years later………….

"You married me…You asked me to marry you…I said yes…You want to leave me with your sons and my two daughters just like that…Who are you leaving me for? It must be someone else?" the woman asked her husband really upset.

"No one…There is no one else…This marriage isn't what I thought it should be. Just false pretences…I'm so sorry but this will never work out." The man answered her.

"You wanted me to quit my job, stay home with the kids and now you're leaving me…I can't believe you…Have you ever considered the children's feelings? First I came in your sons' lives, you came into my daughters' lives, we moved in together, we got married and then we moved to a new house and a few months later you decide this isn't what you want? So are you taking your sons with you because just taking them away from here won't be easy since they've been uprooted a lot in their lives? I don't want them to go through that again!" Mrs Dinozzo told her husband.

"Emma…They can stay here. I'll be in L.A for a month and I think that's all we need to know if we can save this marriage or not." Mr Dinozzo told his wife.

"David is dead…You're the only father my daughters know. I know Tony is 11 and Andy is 9 and you think they are so big now but you're their only parent and you can't just take off." Emma pleaded to him.

"You've been in their lives for three years and they speak to you more often than they speak to me." Mr Dinozzo told his wife.

"Stop working so much and stop hanging around with your friends so much. Whether you like it or not you have four children. If you want to leave then you have to tell them you're going to leave. If you want some advice then don't tell them together. Tell Tony and Andy alone and then tell Isabella and Kelly alone. Remember that they are just seven and five." Emma told him.

"I do remember how old my children are! Why do you have to keep on reminding me that?" Mr Robert Dinozzo asked her.

"You're not good with dates, ages and you name it…Where were you last week when I was with the kids at the cemetery? Getting drunk on her birthday as usual? They needed you there…Don't think I won't mention that in court if you don't grant me joint custody over the boys! I'm a fighter you know." Emma told her husband. All the children meant equal as much to her.

Robert knew Emma had fought long and hard to get full custody over her daughters before David died. Just as she had got it David decided to get drunk which led to someone putting a knife in him and the injuries killed him.

……………Back in November 2005……….

"So if you can't, Jenna can't then who am I going to the gallery with? I just need to go there before my mom comes. The only weekend I know I have some time off she decides to come!" Kate said a bit frustrated.

"You don't seem happy." Abby told her.

"I'm happy she is coming but she chose the wrong weekend. I wanted some me time not mother and daughter time." Kate complained a little.

"Can't you just tell her?" Abby asked Kate. She had never met Kate's mother.

"You can't tell Emily Todd that."

……….

"Just the person I'm looking for." Tony said as he barged into the room.

"Who?" both Abby and Kate asked.

"Kate." Tony answered.

"I figured." Abby then said.

"What do you want?" Kate asked a little annoyed over Tony barging in like that.

"I want to know what cultural stuff is happening this month here." Tony asked her.

"Why?" Kate asked.

"Someone I know is coming for a visit." Tony answered not wanting to be more specific.

Abby saw her chance. It was a great opportunity to stir some things up which should have been stirred up a long time ago.

"Kate is going to a great gallery on Saturday and you should go. Great way to get know things especially if you have someone guiding you. Then you can tell the person you're showing it to that you know some stuff." Abby explained.

"Just what she likes." Tony said with a smile on his face. A gallery seemed perfect.

"I knew it was a woman involved here." Kate told him. She knew he wouldn't go to these kinds of lengths if he wouldn't be scoring.

"It's my mother…I'll see you on Saturday." Tony said before he left the room. Even if he slightly felt insulted by Kate he knew he had to go with her on Saturday.

Kate and Abby both stood there with a stunned face.

"His mother…I have to talk to him to say I'm sorry." Kate told Abby.

"I think he understands…So what are the odds for both of your mothers coming here to visit?" Abby then asked Kate.

"Very high but as it seems not unlikely…It's hard understanding Tony even has a mother. He doesn't speak much about her." Kate told Abby.

"He barely speaks about his family. I know he has a father and mother who are married and a brother. The brother I only know about since he called here once. I think Gibbs knows a bit more but in that area they are really alike. They never talk about their families." Abby told her.

"How will I ever find out what his mother likes then? I need to know so I can help him." Kate wondered feeling that the least thing she could do was to help him out.

"I don't think you'll have a problem with that. He came to you now didn't he?" Abby said answering her question.

"I'll go talk to him." Kate said and then she left the room in a hurry.

………….A while later……..

Kate had tried to talk to Tony but work kept getting in their way but now she saw her chance as Tony was heading somewhere.

"Tony, wait up…I'm so sorry." Kate said when she caught up with him.

"It's ok. Shouldn't you be at your desk? Gibbs will be mad if you're not there." Tony asked her.

"I'm going back soon. I just wanted to say that you can try to come up with things she likes so I know what to show you." Kate asked him.

"Pictures, sculptures, gardens…Something deep…That's what she says…I don't really know what she loves most at the moment but it is things like that." Tony answered.

"You're really trying hard to impress her." Kate told him. She liked seeing this side of him. Kate didn't know he had such a soft side.

"My mother died when I was seven…A year later she came into my life and picked up the pieces in my family…I'll always be grateful for that. She did what my father couldn't. Be there." Tony said to her. It felt good to finally tell someone this and he was glad Kate was the one he told it to. Gibbs knew but it wasn't the same.

"Oh…So when is she coming?" Kate asked not knowing what to say.

"On Sunday."

"My mother is coming late Saturday night so it seems they'll be here at the same time." Kate told him. She hadn't planned on saying it but it just came out.

"Seems we have the same predicament here…Abby has already told me." Tony told her.

"What?" Kate said wondering why Abby had told Tony that.

"She told me just so I wouldn't spend all day with you since your mother is coming. Not that I want to be with you the whole day." Tony told her.

"Same here." Kate said.

Then Tony felt a smack on his head.

"Didn't I tell you to go out and find that guy? And did I say you were going with him?" Gibbs asked his two agents.

"I'm on my way, boss." Tony told him.

"On my way back." Kate told Gibbs.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………..


	2. Chapter 2

Does anybody know how you can post titles to every chapter? I've seen that in a few stories but never figured out how you can do that.

This chapter is a bit long but I hope you will like it.

……………Thursday the 1st of December…………

"The year is coming to an end and that means the end of the year statistics need to be done before Christmas. I want everyone to have them updated by the 20th." Gibbs told them.

"Ok." McGee told him. Tony and Kate just nodded.

"After having said all the required things now we can get on to the important things. McGee and Dinozzo, how is it going with tracking down the car?" Gibbs continued.

"It hasn't been seen anywhere." McGee answered.

"We'll give it a few more days then we'll see what we need to do." Gibbs told him. It was his way to say that a stolen navy car wasn't their top priority since they had already caught the one who stole it. The car would probably never be found since the car thief said he didn't even remember where he left it or where he found it.

"Todd, Dinozzo is going with you when you talk to commander Murphy. McGee you're coming with me when we'll talk to the officers." Gibbs told them.

"I can handle it, boss." Todd told Gibbs.

"I know you can. It's just that commander Murphy is special and I think you need back up." Gibbs explained to her.

"I'm just going to ask him some questions." Todd said not understanding. It wasn't a suspect she was going to talk to and she knew they had a lot to do that having another agent go with her when he could do something else seemed unnecessary.

"We need to go now." Gibbs said before he left the office. McGee was just right behind him.

"Tony, I can handle it." Kate told him.

"You haven't met him before. I have. He's a bit intimidating and very controlling. Not easy to talk to. It's your case and I'll just stay in the background." Tony told her.

"You know something. The same thing Gibbs knows." Kate said suspecting they are not telling her something.

"I've met him. That's all I know. We need to go now." Tony told her. He took the car keys and went up from his desk. Kate followed him. She hated when Gibbs and Tony became cryptic.

…………..At commander Murphy's office…………

"He can see you now." His secretary said.

Kate and Tony walked in.

……………

"I'm agent Todd and this is agent Dinozzo." Kate told commander Murphy.

"I know. I've met agent Dinozzo before. Surprised to see Gibbs isn't here and that he let you lead this." He told Kate. There was a scary vibe around him which both Kate and Tony picked up on quickly.

"You don't need to sit down because this will only take a few seconds." The commander told them.

"I think it will take a bit longer than that. We have some questions for you. We know officer Dillon came to you the day before he was found beaten to death. What did he tell you?" Kate asked him. Tony looked at Kate and her gut feeling was telling her not to sit down and just stand strong.

"We talked about strategies and how we can make the navy better. It was a scheduled meeting. Nothing unusual happened. He seemed ok to me. I think that is all then." The commander told her.

"His wife told us something was bothering him. Did he tell you about it?" Kate asked him.

The commander went up from his desk and walked towards Kate.

"Women always imagine things. They never know what's really going on. This meeting is really over." The commander told her. If Kate didn't know better she would think he would do something to her. How he ever could get a job like this she didn't understand.

Tony just stood there and didn't say a thing. He knew Kate could handle this.

"It's not over. You know something and I want to know what it is. We're not leaving since we have some more questions to ask." Kate demanded.

The commander then raised his hand and even if Tony knew he wouldn't do something with him in the room he felt it was time to get out of here. It was the sign Tony had waited for all along since they entered the room.

"Thank you very much. We're going agent Todd." Tony told her. He looked at Kate and his expression told her they needed to get out of there.

"Tell Gibbs that he shouldn't let new agents practise interrogating people by interrogating me." The commander said. Then Kate and Tony left the room.

……….

"What was that all about?" Kate asked Tony as soon as they had left the building.

"The meeting was over." Tony answered cryptic.

"We got nothing. He wasn't scary." Kate told him.

"Tell that to them he has scared when he has been alone with them in the room. Before you started on NCIS we investigated if he had sexual assaulted a female officer and beaten his wife. He knew that and it was a warning sign when he raised his hand. When men are around he can control himself but when woman are around he can't. We never got enough evidence to prosecute him and he kept his job." Tony explained to her.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Kate asked.

"Because you would say you still could handle it alone. This way you didn't protest which you probably would have done if we had told you before. The female officer he assaulted had gone to his office for a meeting and a few hours later she was found in a hospital. She refused to tell anyone what happened in the end and no one had seen or heard what had happened either. She then left the navy and city." Tony explained to her.

"What about the secretary?" Kate asked.

"Best job she has ever had according to her and that's all we got out of her. She claimed she had gone home early that day." Tony continued.

"What about his wife?"

"He got her committed because of insanity. Everyone felt sorry for him because of his wife's sickness that no one liked we were investigating him for assault. Gibbs and I know he did it but we can't prove it. Didn't you notice the secretary was conveniently not at her desk when we left his office? No witness to collaborate our story. He would say Gibbs is after him and we would lose our jobs."

"So if I had gone there alone he would have threaten me and even hit me? Everyone would have believed me if I had told the truth. Why didn't Gibbs question him?" Kate kept asking.

"No one believed the female officer at first and then she changed her story with saying she couldn't remember a thing at all. He hates Gibbs and he hates women even more. I think that answers your questions. We did our duty now lets try to find the truth another way." Tony told her.

"I just can't leave it that way…I need to know what happened because it would help in this case. Gibbs would never withhold and stop using old information when it can help in a new case." Kate demanded.

"You weren't there…Everything which could go wrong went wrong. He got suspended for a week and was told never to get close to the commander again. Never ever tell him I told you this. He would kill me." Tony told her.

"So I'm just a pawn in your game? Is that all I am?" Kate asked pretty upset.

"You're so much more than that…You're a damn good NCIS agent who can make someone instable. That's why Gibbs wanted you to question commander Murphy. He'll make a mistake one day and Gibbs will be right there when he does." Tony explained.

"So I am a pawn in your game!" Kate concluded.

"No, you're not…" Tony told her but he sensed she didn't want to listen.

"Yes, I am…You disappoint me…I've never felt this bad since I started at NCIS. I'm an agent not a woman you can order around." Kate told him.

"What do you want to hear? That this is a sick and twisted game and somehow we are trying to make the good guys win no matter which methods we use? Even if they are hurtful and feel so morally wrong? Is that what you want to hear?" Tony yelled at her. He didn't mean to yell at her but it just happened.

Kate stood there and watched him. Tony raising his voice like that and the way he said it…Deep down inside it did something to her.

"If we'll win…" Kate told him quietly. She didn't want to fight and this case meant a lot to Tony and Gibbs and she was excluded from it. It was like a little club she couldn't get in. The past meant too much and she hadn't been in it so she couldn't join the club. She wondered if Abby was in it too. Maybe even Ducky…Of course Ducky was in it…He knows everything…

Tony saw how her expression changed. He shouldn't have yelled at her in the middle of the parking lot with everyone watching. Then he knew who absolutely was watching them. He turned around and looked up at a window. He saw someone watching them. Tony didn't want him to win.

Tony went closer to Kate and hugged her.

"I'm so sorry. I'll tell you more about it when we're alone and not at work." He said while still hugging her.

"Why are you hugging me?" Kate asked surprised.

"The truth is that he is looking at us and I want to piss him off but it is also a good way to show I'm really sorry about yelling at you. You didn't deserve it." Tony told her anticipating a bad reaction from her.

"Thanks…Just don't tell Gibbs. He will get ideas and lecture us about rule number 12. I've heard enough about it." Kate told him while she let him go. She felt like pissing off the commander as well.

……………….Back at NCIS…………

"So how did it go?" Gibbs asked them when he and McGee came back.

"As you thought it would go. We did what we had to do according to protocol and now we can move on." Tony answered. Kate just sat there and she didn't want to say a thing since she knew it was probably Tony who Gibbs wanted to answer the question. Gibbs noticed it and immediately understood what had happened. He knew the bastard.

"I'm sorry Kate for putting you through it. How close did he get?" Gibbs asked Kate but knowing Tony would probably answer it before Kate could.

"It went ok." Kate replied. She wanted to show she could handle it. She had been undercover before and that was far worse and dangerous than this.

"He never came close." Tony then said.

The silence spread across the office. No one wanted to say a thing.

"The officers all said the same thing. He was worried about something. He talked a lot about the commander but not about a specific thing so no one really knew what was going on. I'll go to Abby with the things we found on board the ship so she can check them out." McGee told them hoping it would make someone work again. He had noticed something was going on with this case. That it was unusual and even more unusual than the cases they usually get. It was more personal for Tony and Gibbs. Something that was before his time there. The little Gibbs told him about an old case didn't help him much in the search for answers but he didn't want to push it by asking around too much at the moment.

……….3rd of December…………

"Addy Art Gallery. I like the name. Wonder where the name came from." Tony asked as they arrived to the gallery.

"Adrian Sharp. His nick name is Addy." Kate replied.

They had talked a bit the last 48 hours and things were back as normal again.

"That's what I like about you. You know such stuff. I'm sure mom will ask me that when we come here." Tony told her being a bit amazed over her knowledge but also that she reminded him about his mother. He started to wonder what his mother would say if she met Kate. Tony knew he probably should not let his mom meet Kate. The conclusions she would make would not be good for their work relationship. Still he couldn't stop thinking about how he compared Grace to Emma when he was younger to see that they were similar in some ways. The feeling that it was why his dad chose to marry Emma was because of those similarities were strong in the beginning but kind of disappeared when he got to know Emma more. Emma was nice back then and still is now. Just as nice as Kate was to him now. Tony wondered how he started to compare his two mothers with Kate. Why had he started to think like that?

Tony never had a problem with starting to call Emma mom even if he and everyone else knew Grace would always be his mom. The best two relationships he had with women except his sisters were with them…Why did going to an art gallery stir up so much memories and feelings? Then it hit him…His mother Grace had taken him to an art gallery when he was little…His mother Emma had done the same and now Kate did it…

"We've walked in and passed some paintings but you haven't said a thing. Is something wrong? Am I boring you?" Kate asked him.

"Not at all. It is just the opposite. Keep on explaining and I'll ask you questions if I need to know more." Tony quickly replied after he stopped being so caught up in his own thoughts.

"This is his daughter's Adrianna Sharp's painting. She is only ten but he loves showing of his children's work even if they aren't so arty. Adrian wants to show everyone is great even if they can't paint. He's deep in that way. He was great at drawing and painting when he was her age but he loves his daughter so much that he doesn't care if she isn't the same. You can feel the pride in the room when you look at these pictures and paintings which are all taken by children between 5 and 15." Kate explained to him.

"When the tour is over can I buy you dinner to say thanks?" Tony then asked her. She expected her to say no but he wanted to have asked her anyway.

"I don't think I have time. My mom is coming tonight and I'll have to make the apartment look really nice. I'm sure you have a lot to prepare before your mother comes." Kate told him. The offer sounded really good and tempting but she knew that with her mother coming and rule number 12 she had to say no but she wanted to let him down gently. He had been so nice to her the whole day. Kate had guided him around the city showing him some good places to show his mother before this last attraction. Tony had been his usual self but also a completely different person too. His charm felt more compelling and irresistible today. Kate wondered what that thought came from.

……………..A while later………..

They had gone through the whole gallery and were headed to Tony's car. He had picked Kate up and was going to drive her home. Just as he opened the car door for Kate his cell phone rang. He talked for a little while and Kate observed him. At first it was because of his nice gesture to open the car door for her since he hadn't done it once during the whole day but then as the conversation went on it was because of what he said. A few seconds later the conversation was over.

"Who was it?" Kate asked.

"Mom…She decided to come here a day earlier and by train. She'll be here around 9.20 pm." Tony told her.

"That's when my mom is coming. Do you think they're on the same train?" Kate asked.

"With our luck I think so. It's already 6.15 and I haven't even cleaned up the guest room." Tony said to her.

"It's 6.15…When did time go so fast? Mom is going to freak when she sees my apartment." Kate said.

"So she likes it tidy then?" Tony asked her.

"Don't start…It's tidy already but not as tidy as she likes it. Not up to her standards and she has high standards." Kate told her.

"High standards on many things I presume!" Tony continued.

"I love her and she is a great mom…Stop talking and drive me home…At least my mom isn't coming a day early." Kate said a little mad.

"Why don't I help you? I know how a mother visit can drive you crazy." Tony said nicely. He knew his previous comment wasn't a good one.

"Don't you want to get your place ready?" Kate wondered.

"First we go to your place and tidy it up. While on our way back to my place we order some Chinese food and when we're there the food is there and we can eat while cleaning up a bit. We'll be at the train station 9.15. I told my mom to meet me at the meeting point at the train station…" Tony told Kate before she cut him off.

"Outside the café…That's where I'm meeting my mother…They are going to meet…I don't like this Tony." Kate told him aware of how her mother would react if she met her partner and his mom at the same time.

"I understand you. Not an ideal situation but it is what it is. Maybe we can try to solve it while we're cleaning up two homes and eating. It is three hours to go." Tony told her.

………………………Three hours later…………

"So how come we didn't manage to solve it?" Kate asked as they were waiting for their mothers. They had just arrived and they were taking them home in Tony's car. They knew they had to do some explaining for their parents.

"I don't know…Everything took longer than expected." Tony answered.

"Katie…" someone yelled.

"Tony…" someone else yelled.

The two turned around and saw their mothers. The mothers then looked at each other before looking at their children again.

Mrs Todd and Mrs Dinozzo were here and stood now in front of their children.

"Is there something I should know?" Mrs Todd asked.

"I'm wondering the same." Mrs Dinozzo then said.

"It's not what it looks like mom." Kate said.

"You're early mom. I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow." Tony told her.

"Is this your girlfriend?" his mother asked.

"Is he your boyfriend?" her mother asked.

"We're partners." Kate told both of them.

"Katie…I don't like this." Her mother told her.

"We'll talk more at home mom." Kate said taking her bags. Tony then took his mom's bag.

They all went to the car.

"Why are we driving home in the same car, honey?" Tony's mother asked.

"Because we are mom. I'll tell you more at home." Tony replied.

…………………At Kate's home………………

"I didn't like him and his mother. Are you sure you're only partners?" Kate's mom asked.

"We're only partners and when you get to know them more you'll see they are really nice. Mrs Dinozzo did invite us for lunch tomorrow." Kate told her mom.

"I know but the first impression I got wasn't good but I'm willing to give them a second chance since you obviously want me to get to know them more. You're sleeping with him aren't you?" Her mother asked her daughter.

"I'm not sleeping with him and Tony is very nice and so is his mother. I didn't plan for this to happen. Believe me." Kate pleaded.

"I believe you. I came here for you not for the Dinozzos. I love you." Her mother then said before hugging her daughter and going to her room.

…………….At Tony's house………….

"Why mom? Why invite them for lunch?" Tony asked his mother.

"I got the feeling you wanted me to get along with them. I admit the first impression I got wasn't good but maybe it was because you both surprised us by this. Picking us up together." Mrs Dinozzo told her son.

"For the last time mom, it wasn't planned. You came a day earlier." Tony told her getting a little sick by her insinuations.

"I immediately felt something is going on. I'm your mother and you shouldn't be afraid to tell me that you're sleeping with her. I know you want me to like them so I'm going to try to do my best to like them tomorrow." His mother continued.

"There isn't anything to tell. I didn't intend to hurt you so please don't be hurt because there isn't anything to be hurt by." Tony pleaded.

"I'm not hurt. I'm going to bed now. Good night. I love you." She hugged her son and went upstairs.

…………………………………………………………………


	3. Chapter 3

……………..4th of December…………….

……………Kate's apartment………..

"Mom…I know there is something you want to tell me. Tell me before we go to Tony." Kate told her mother.

"If you just don't say anything after I tell you." Emily Todd told her daughter.

"Fine…I can't take not knowing. All morning I've waited for you to tell me. I know you mom. You didn't come out here just to visit your daughter." Kate told her.

"Your father and I are safe…We're so safe that both of our daughters didn't want to play it safe in their lives. You became an agent and Jessica wanted to undercover the truth by becoming a journalist in Los Angeles after college. You saw what happened to her. Broken dreams and a good reality check." Mrs Todd told her.

"Mom, you left something out. Jessie didn't give up and she loved travelling across the country from one journalist job to another. She got experience and it led to her being able to work overseas. Jessie now works in New York and is happy. Did you come here to talk about how you think how unhappy I am here?" Kate asked her mother.

"Aren't you? Jessie is your younger sister and even if I've disagreed with many of her decisions I don't worry about her. She is married, has given me two grandchildren and has a job she plans to stick to. I can't say that about you. You know you will get fired from this job too if you hop into bed with that Tony guy." Her mother told her truthfully. Mrs Todd didn't want to sound harsh but it wasn't her who brought up the topic in the beginning. Someone had to knock some sense into her. Why couldn't she at least keep a job?

"Mom, I'm not hopping into bed with him. Did you come all the way here to complain about my life?" Kate asked her. She had heard enough of it and wanted her to stop but telling her that was easier said than done especially since the few times she had done so her mother had refused to listen. Her father had just felt the same but hadn't expressed it as verbally as her mother had done in the past.

"That's not why I'm here…As I said. Your father and I have played it safe but no more. We're selling the house and moving to an apartment. The last year has been pretty difficult for us. Your father lost his job." Emily said before Kate cut her off.

"He got a new one six months later and you know I'll help you out. Jessie has offered to help you out too. Why did you refuse our help?" Kate told her mom.

"I think both of you barely manage now so we don't want your money. That's why we decided to sell the house. The little money we have we want to use it on ourselves, have fun and be happy. We're going to marriage counselling and are considering even to leave the city and try something new. I was in New York last weekend and told Jessie that. We wanted to tell you in person but your father had to work so it was me who had to go to you to tell you both." Emily told her.

"I need to call dad. After the call we're going to Tony and his mother." Kate told her.

…………….. Tony's house…………..

"Mom…I do keep in contact with my siblings and I try to call you and dad at least once a month." Tony told his mom.

"I know. I just wanted to see how you were doing. Here in this big house." His mother told him while they were preparing lunch.

"I'm not lonely mom."

"I know you're not."

"I also now you've been to see Isabella, Kelly and Andy. Only you and not dad have been visiting them and I'm last on the list. They refused to tell me what is going on because you want to tell it in person. Now tell me. Are you and dad separating?" Tony asked her.

"We're not getting a divorce. Everything is fine with us. I decided to not work for six months and the six months are coming to an end and I wanted to visit my kids. Nothing unusual with that." Emma Dinozzo told him.

"It is when you're hiding something." Tony confronted her.

"Did I tell you how I and your father met? David has just died and we really needed money. I got this temporary job at your father's office. I was going to work there for three months. I had heard about him being left alone with two boys and when people heard about my situation, they though we had something in common. I thought your father looked good but I didn't want to push it. I barely spoke to him while I worked there. Then on the last day at my job he came up to me and said he was dared to ask me out. He asked me out and got 20 dollars from his friend by doing that. Your father reminds me a lot about you. I thought he was just joking so I didn't care but when I was going home he stopped me outside the building and asked me out for real. To me he had always been this grieving husband with two children but the last day he became someone else. He became my husband. I know you think everything went so fast. We moved in together a year later, got married after being together for two years and we moved to a bigger house. I just want to tell you look at what you have in front of you. Is it good or bad? If you don't like it then change it. All I want is for you to be happy but you're like your father sometimes. Too afraid about really doing what makes you happy in case you lose it. I don't want you to go through life with you thinking you missed out on something great. I wanted to share my wisdom with my children before it is too late. Your father has already done that and now it is my turn." His mother told him.

"Are you dying? It will make sense then." Tony said stunned. He had never heard this story before and he had heard many stories about things his father had done with Grace and Emma.

"No, I'm not dying."

"Then why tell me this now? You've never told me this before. Sharing your wisdom…You're going to live for a long time." Tony told his mother.

"You're afraid of me dying Tony. I did this to prepare our children for the future in the best way possible and I know this is what I have to do. Grace didn't want to die. She loved you so much. There wasn't a day which went by where she regretted how she lived her life. I know she died happy just as I want to die. Three of my children are happy with their everyday life but as a mother I know the fourth one isn't. "Emma told Tony.

"I'm happy mom. I've got the best job in the world. Fantastic friends and co-workers. A great family…So three of your children are married and have two children each but the eldest one hasn't any of that. You shouldn't worry about me. You can die happy. Tell dad that too. Also say I'm sorry for not being able to come over during the holidays." Tony told her knowing what she was thinking.

"The door is always open…Tell me about Kate." His mother then asked.

"That's why you told me the how you met story…Don't try to set me up with Kate. Kate has a different taste in men." Tony said feeling quite good about figuring out her plan.

"You can't blame me for trying." Mrs Dinozzo told him.

……………In Kate's car……………

"You've been quiet." Her mother told her.

"I got a lot on my mind." Kate replied.

"We're fine. Stop worrying about us…So tell me about your friends here." Her mother said to her.

"There is Jennie who I met at NCIS but she doesn't work at NCIS and not the same floor as me. She works two floors over me but with other navy stuff. Administration and such. Paperwork. She is 30, married with no children but her husband is an officer currently stationed in Iraq. We exercise together and hang out a bit. The closest friend I got here is Abby who works at NCIS. We talk a lot, go to spas, restaurants and do so much else together. I work a lot so getting time to get friends and then actually spend time with them isn't that easy." Kate explained to her. She hoped it was enough to satisfy her mother.

"Ok…Are we there yet?" her mother then said.

Her response surprised Kate. Emily Todd didn't usually response this way.

"Really soon."

………………….At Tony's house………….

"Sorry for being late." Kate told Tony as they entered the house.

"It is ok. We were just finished." Tony answered.

"Let me help you set the table." Mrs Todd offered when she saw Mrs Dinozzo doing it.

"I was on my way to do it. Why don't you sit in the sofa while we finish?" Tony told Mrs Todd.

"Why don't you and Kate set the table while I go get the food in the kitchen?" Mrs Dinozzo suggested.

"I'll go help you in the kitchen." Mrs Todd then said. A few seconds later both mothers were in the kitchen.

"So what was that about?" Tony asked Kate.

"My mother is avoiding me. We had a long talk this morning and that's why we're late. I'm so sorry for causing a bad mood here." Kate apologized. She didn't want to tell Tony what was really going on. Her mother told Kate she was ready to give her space now she suddenly did as she said.

"My mother and I had a deep talk to which didn't end so well so I understand. I can't quite figure out my mother's agenda. She is tricky sometimes." Tony told Kate. He thought he had figured it out but the more he and his mother had talked the more doubtful Tony had got. A lot more doubtful than he portrayed himself to Kate.

"Let's set the table." Kate said while starting.

………..

A while later Kate and Tony sat down at the table but no food had come and especially no mothers had come.

"What are they up to?" Tony asked getting up from his seat.

"My mother wants me to get married. Have you told your mother a lot about me?" Kate asked him suspicious.

"Not so much…" Tony said feeling a little guilty. He had talked about her a bit but he knew a bit was too much for Kate.

"She's pumping her for some information. I can't believe you Tony. Do you have to blab to everyone about my private life?" Kate asked him.

"I don't do that." Tony protested.

"Yes you do." Kate objected.

"My mother also wants me to get married and I think in her eyes you're the only suitable candidate right now so how much have you told your mother about me? So maybe you're a big blabber too." Tony said a bit higher just to get back at her.

"You take that back instantly. At least my mother doesn't want me to marry someone like you. She knows me too good to think that." Kate told him.

"My mother knows me really well…You should take back that comment instantly." Tony warned her.

………

"What's all the shouting about?" Mrs Todd said as she and Mrs Dinozzo came into the room with the food.

"Nothing." Tony then said.

"Let's eat." Kate told them. Neither of them wanted to explain what had happened.

……………..After the lunch…………

Mrs Todd and Mrs Dinozzo were in the living room while their children were in the kitchen.

"They were quite quiet during lunch. Do you think it was because of us?" Mrs Emma Dinozzo asked.

"It was probably us and the fight." Mrs Emily Todd replied.

"Isn't it odd that when we start to get along they start to fight?" Emma stated.

"It is. Maybe we can make them feel better at the gallery." Emily answered.

Then they sat quiet waiting for their children to come back out to them so they could go.

…………When they we're going home after seeing the art gallery………..

"It didn't work. They talked to us and sometimes with each other but they are still mad at each other. "Emma told Emily when they were walking slowly behind Tony and Kate.

"I think they need to be alone without us for a few hours. Any ideas?" Emily suggested.

"Not really. When are you going home?" Emma Dinozzo asked.

"I haven't decided if it'll be on Friday or Saturday. What about you?"

"Saturday. You should go home by then too." Emma replied.

"I think I'll do that." Emily Todd replied.

…………..

Then Kate's cell phone rang. She talked for a while. Then she talked to Tony before they went over to their mothers.

"Mom. What would you say if you and Mrs Dinozzo spent the evening together? I can drive you home so you can get your luggage and then drop you off at Tony's." Kate explained.

"Why?" Emily Todd asked.

"I don't think I'll be coming home tonight and it should be more fun if you had someone to be with than alone at my place." Kate further explained.

"I feel the same. You need some company and I'm so sorry for not being able to provide it to you. This is apart of our job. Kate will drive you two to her place and then drop you off at my place. I'll be going straight away to NCIS." Tony told them.

……………….A while later at NCIS…………….

"So how did it go?" Tony asked Kate when she arrived.

"They seem like best friends. I'm sure they'll be alright. You have a lot of channels on your TVs if they get bored." Kate told him. She liked the emergency plan they came up with for their mothers but she still felt bad.

"We'll call them later…Gibbs got a led on the stolen car which is connected to the Dillon case." Tony said knowing how she felt about leaving their mothers together.

"Great. Maybe I'll call them in two hours." Kate then said. Tony nodded.

They were silent and waited for Gibbs to update them on the case.

"Why are we always good at setting aside our differences when we start to work?" Kate asked him out of the blue.

"I've always wondered that. Maybe we really don't want to hurt each other." Tony suggested after a while.

"Then why do we try to hurt each other so much? At work you're my partner, an important person to me whom I trust very much." Kate continued.

"I f eel the same but as soon as it gets personal we get out of hand." Tony told her.

Then Gibbs came. They couldn't finish what they had started. It felt like the story of their lives and both felt it. They felt it really hard.

………….

"Commander Murphy hasn't been seen since Friday and we have to find him. Either someone is after him and got him or he is covering up something. Either way we need to find him. "Gibbs told them and McGee.


	4. Chapter 4

…………..A few hours later…………..

"So we'll probably not find out where he is but we'll widen the search tomorrow. Get some sleep." Gibbs told his team. It was a bit of a let down not getting any clues about where the commander could be. He felt he was losing his touch. Would the commander get away for the second time around?

"Kate…"Tony said before getting interrupted by her cell phone.

………..

"What did you want to say?" Kate asked him after finishing her call.

"Are you coming home with me?" Tony asked.

"My mother is staying with Tony's mother while we're here." Kate explained to everyone since she knew everyone heard him. It was just typical him to say things like that to spread rumours.

"I'll come and pick her up." Kate told him. Then she made a phone call on her cell phone.

………..

"I just have a few things to do. Why don't you go ahead?" Kate told him after the second phone call.

"So what's happening?" Abby asked after Tony had gone.

"Dan called and asked why I hadn't called him as promised. I had promise to call him and maybe spend the weekend with him. It slipped my mind that I promised him that." Kate told her.

"So what are you going to do now?" Abby asked her. She knew Kate and Dan had met a few times but it wasn't serious.

"Call him and tell him we'll have to meet up next weekend instead if I'm not working. I got to go and pick up my mother. Bye" Kate said to Abby.

……….Two hours later……….

"Didn't you say she was coming?" Mrs Todd asked Tony.

"She was." Tony said puzzled. It wasn't like her not telling anyone where she was.

……………….At the same time……….

"Dan…It was a big surprise that you were outside my apartment but I really need to pick up my mother." Kate told him.

"Stay in the bed for a little while longer? Please." Dan asked her.

"Dan…I don't think this will work out. Every time we meet we end up here. It was good but I've had enough. Sorry to end this but you have to go." Kate told him.

Then her cell phone rang and she saw who it was. Unfortunately Dan saw it too.

"So it is because of him you're ending this?" Dan asked.

"No. It is because of you. Dan put on your clothes." Kate told him while getting up from the bed. She didn't answer Tony's call. She already knew what he wanted.

…………At Tony's house…….

"I'm going to swing by her place to see if she is there." Tony said grabbing his jacket.

………..A while later……….

Dan and Kate left the building together when Tony arrived. He saw them and they saw him.

"So that's him. I hope he can handle you. Dumping people in the bed hurts." Dan said before walking over to his car. Tony stepped out of his car and walked up to her.

"Your mother got worried. It's late so maybe she should stay over. You can pick her up tomorrow." Tony told her.

"Dan wanted to talk and time went so fast. I'm sorry." Kate told him.

"There is no need for an explanation. Either call her or come and talk to her. I'll drive home now. You have your own car." Tony said before going back to his car.

………A while later………

Tony couldn't drive home. Something told him to drive around for a bit before going home. He knew what had happened and he wondered when Kate got to be so much like him. It must be so much he didn't know about her. He ended up at all night open diner.

………..At Tony's house………..

"Where is Tony?" his mother asked Kate when she arrived.

"I don't know but I think he's alright. I thought I'll sleep in the sofa tonight. I'm keeping my promise to be with you as much as possible while you're here mom." Kate told her mom.

…………Next morning……….

"I didn't hear you come home." Kate told him when he came down.

"I didn't know you where here." Tony told her.

"I slept in the sofa. I went back to my apartment and packed a little bag so I could stay over. I promised my mom to be with her as much as possible when she is here so I thought it was easier for me to stay here than for her to come back home." Kate explained to him.

"I see. I have an extra fold out bed. You could have slept on it." Tony told her.

"No one knew about it but I slept pretty well on the sofa." Kate continued.

"Apparently since you didn't hear me come home." Tony stated.

The conversation felt a little forced from both parts.

"I'm sorry for worrying you. Dan wanted to talk." Kate lied. Dan wanted something else and she couldn't resist. It wasn't everyday she had time to be with a guy and she ceased the opportunity. She wasn't like Tony who always had an opportunity.

"I went to a diner and stayed there for a little while before I came home." Tony told her not telling her the whole truth. Something else had happened too.

"I guess Gibbs will let us work a lot today. I only got around four hours of sleep and it's only 6.20 am." Kate told him. Tony then knew that she knew he came home pretty late.

"I guess I came home just when you fell asleep." Tony quickly said. He couldn't remember when he came home but he knew he was home before three.

………….

Tony drove Kate to work in his car since they were coming back to his place after work. They didn't say much to each other.


	5. Chapter 5

…………..Wednesday the 7th of December………..

Tony and Kate stood outside Tony's door.

"We should get in. They're expecting us." Kate told him. He had stood there for a little while without taking up his keys.

"About the last few days…We've done the same and acted the same. I think out parents expect a better behaviour from both of us." Tony told her. His mother had asked him several times what was going on but he had really no answer. With them either working a lot or spending time with their parents there hadn't been a lot of time to really be alone and sit down and talk.

"Ok, so it's become a routine. We eat breakfast together, you drive me to work, we work a lot and try to be home by seven so we can eat the dinner our mothers have prepared for us, then we spend time with them because we feel guilty because we work so much and suddenly it's time to go to sleep and then the day repeats itself. So it's 7.15 pm and I won't consider it being late. Yesterday we came home 8.30." Kate told him. It had been quite rough the last few days but it had helped that their mothers could spend the days together and Kate stayed over at Tony's house. Her mother would probably not spend so much quality time with her if they hadn't decided to stay at Tony's.

"That was because we found out the commander was Dillon's father and he refused to acknowledge that. We got a new perspective on the case yesterday and today we got no closer in finding the murderer or where commander Murphy is." Tony told her even if he knew she already knew that but he wanted to say it.

"We know the commander probably murdered his son but we just have to prove it. I just want us not to think about it during dinner. On our free time we shouldn't think about work. It has affected how we act when we come home." Kate stated.

"That's not true and you know it." Tony said feeling for the first time that he had to say what his heart really wanted to say and that was that they couldn't keep on putting on a charade in front of their mothers.

"This is about Dan isn't it? You think you know something but you don't. If you don't like me then why are you acting jealous? Tony, for once just grow up!" Kate told him.

"I slept with the girl who worked at the diner." Tony then blurted out. It had been eating him up alive not being able to tell her. It had been easy before telling people and Kate about his conquests but now it was different because Kate must have heard and seen him come home. He didn't know why it was different just that it was.

"I slept with Dan but it's over between us. I know you know. I've seen it on your face. I also suspected you did something like that when you came home so late. I know you Dinozzo so I'm not stupid." Kate told him.

…………..

"Why are you standing in the cold talking?" Tony's mother asked as she opened the door.

Again Kate and Tony had been interrupted in a very important and crucial moment.

"Discussing the case again." Kate replied.

"Is that all you think about?" his mother asked while they went in.

"Thanks for coming home not so late. Dinner is actually not cold." Kate's mother told them.

……………..11.24 pm………….

Tony went down to the kitchen. He couldn't sleep and it was bothering him since tomorrow he had to go up early.

"Hey Tony." Kate told him in the dark.

"How did you know it was me?" he asked.

"Who else has so much in their head besides me?" Kate answered.

"Do I dare to ask what's wrong?" Tony told her sitting down next to her.

"Do I dare to ask the same to you?" Kate quickly replied.

"I've lived with three women before but this time it's different." Tony replied thinking it was a good answer.

"It was a big surprise to me when I found out you have two sisters." Kate told him.

"It was a big surprise to find out both you and your sister are so different from your parents." Tony stated.

"Sometimes the apple falls far from the tree." Kate told him liking that they were having a decent conversation which wasn't about work.

"According to mom my apple fell close to my father's tree. Same behaviour and same taste in women." Tony continued.

"Your mother is not like the women you date Tony." Kate stated.

"No. Just the woman I'll one day marry mom said to me." Tony continued.

"So she's still talking about me?" Kate wondered.

"She has grown to like you just as I have." Tony said trying to be nice. He didn't want to tease her so this late night conversation would end.

"You're not my type Tony. Face it and deal with it." Kate said strongly.

"I haven't said my mom is right. You're not my type either…Maybe we should just talk about something else."

"The guy with two ex-wives, one wife, five children, several stepchildren and one of his biological children from to us unknown relationship is dead…" Kate suggested.

"Not that horrible guy…I don't want to jump to conclusion but he is going to retire soon and I think he is either hiding or took suicide. He doesn't have a hit list that I stupidly suggested earlier today. Not every person we investigate has a hit list and put us on it." Tony told her.

"Why do I have such a hard time believing you and Gibbs?" Kate asked him.

"So what are you eating?" Tony asked not wanting to talk about it more.

"Ok…We'll finish this tomorrow since I know pushing you won't give me any answers. I'm eating chocolate pudding. They made a lot more than all four of us can eat so eating it as a late night snack didn't seem wrong." Kate explained.

"I'll have that too." Tony said going up and turning on the light. A minute later he sat down next to Kate again with a plate of chocolate pudding.

"You know chocolate is an aphrodisiac." Tony told her wanting to see how she reacted. Now he felt like teasing her.

"I'm not falling for it." Kate told him. Then she decided to tease him back. She slowly lifted her spoon and seductively put it in her mouth and looked with loving and passionate eyes at him.

"Two can play that game." Tony told her trying to do the same.

"Too bad you're a bit messy. You have some around your mouth." Kate told him.

"Then please be my guest and take it all away." Tony told her.

Kate didn't want to understand what he meant. She desperately tried not to understand what he meant.

"Rule number 12. Nice try into getting me to forget it. I'm going back up to my room now." Kate told him. For once she wanted to win.

Tony thought screw rule number 12. He leaned in and kissed her. Kate kissed him back.

……….Next morning………..

"I swear Tony…We just slept in the same bed. If you tell anybody else we did something else then I'll kill you." Kate said as they were making breakfast.

"We both agreed on that it was too soon, we can't do it with our mothers here and that we really need to get some sleep before work. I don't have to hear it a million times as I've done for the past twenty minutes we have been awake. I get it." Tony told her.

"As soon as they've gone home we need to have a serious talk. I'm not ready for a relationship and I think you're influenced by your mother. I know parents can make you act the way you never want to act. All four of us living here isn't a normal situation. You and I aren't normal. Our thing here isn't normal." Kate told him.

"So you regret it because I don't." Tony told her.

"I don't regret kissing you and sleeping in the same bed with you. I'm just glad we didn't do more." Kate replied.


	6. Chapter 6

…………..At work around 9 am Thursday the 8th of December………….

"Abby, what am I going to do?" Kate asked her. She had told Abby about what had happened and felt unsure on how she should tackle this matter.

"Follow your heart. I know it'll lead you in the right way." Abby answered. She didn't want Kate to make a decision upon her opinion even if she wanted them together.

"I'm moving out tonight. So is my mom." Kate then said after while. She had thought about it all morning and right now it felt like it was for the best.

"If that's what you feel then so be it." Abby answered.

"It is. Thanks for listening. I needed that." Kate told her friend.

Then Tony entered the room. He looked at Kate and then at Abby before looking at Kate again.

"I should have known you've told her." Tony told her not being so happy about it but he knew they were close.

"Why are you here?" Kate asked him now a bit irritating over his reaction.

"If you keep on acting like this Gibbs will find out. He's good at finding out things." Abby told them.

"Gibbs wants to talk to the whole team. So can you two come to the office?" Tony told them before quickly leaving the room.

…………

Abby and Kate went out. Tony, McGee and Gibbs were there waiting for him.

"Murphy's secretary called. He had visited his wife and was on his way back when he got a heart attack. He called his secretary and then he died talking to her. We're going to search his car for evidence and do an autopsy. His family wants to know if he really had a heart attack. The police found a letter in his car confessing to everything he had done the past years but his family thinks he was set up. They think that whoever killed Dillon killed the commander too. So we all have a lot to do today." Gibbs told them.

………….Case info………..

All day they had worked on the Murphy and Dillon cases. Everything they found only pointed to that the letter was authentic and commander Murphy died of a heart attack. Even if it wasn't the way Gibbs wanted to solve the Dillon case he was glad they found out who was Dillon's murderer. Apparently Dillon and Murphy had an argument over Dillon's mother who kept Dillon a secret from his father. In rage Murphy struck officer Dillon with his gun and he died.

………….Around 6 pm………..

"Tony, follow my plan now. You do remember it, right?" Kate asked him in the car. They were outside Tony's house and since Kate's car was there their mothers were home too.

"I know. Don't say a thing and just agree when you tell your mother about moving back home."

"There are consequences if you don't listen to me." Kate warned him.

"It gets irritating when you keep nagging all the time. If you told me once then it's enough. Somehow I don't know why you are angry at me when I should be angry at you for telling Abby." Tony told her.

"Because you never understand. I'm glad this isn't leading anywhere." Kate said talking about their relationship while stepping out of the car. Tony did the same. They walked in to the house and it seemed empty.

"Mom." Kate yelled. No one answered.

"Mom." Tony then yelled. This time no one answered too.

"They aren't home. Where are they?" Kate asked a bit worried.

"They are adults. No need to worry." Tony assured her.

"She would have left a note or called. It's not like her." Kate told him.

"They are probably just having fun and forgot the time. We can order some food when they come back home so we all can eat together before you leave." Tony told her.

"I guess it is a good idea." Kate then said walking to the living room.

"Maybe we should talk about us. You said that as soon we're alone we should talk." Tony said while he sat down in the sofa. Kate sat down next to him.

"This is as close as you get." Kate told him feeling how the sexual tension was building up inside of her.

Tony felt how he couldn't resist moving closer to her. It would be so hard only talking to her.

A few long seconds later they were all over each other.

They didn't hear when the door opened.

………….

"We knew it. They did this to get us to know each other better. We can start planning a wedding." Mrs Todd told Mrs Dinozzo.

With fear in their eyes Tony and Kate saw how happy their mothers got and how they soon rang up everyone they knew sharing the happy news of their children not being single anymore.

……….A while later……….

"So we went shopping and we had so much fun. Tomorrow we're going to eat at a restaurant. We bought you clothes which would be great for tomorrow." Mrs Dinozzo told them.

"Mom…You didn't have to do that." Tony told her.

"I wanted to. So let's talk about you two." Mrs Dinozzo said.

"Mom…You know you shouldn't shop so much." Kate said knowing her mother hadn't as much money as Mrs Dinozzo.

"Mrs Dinozzo offered to pay for a few things like lunch and your clothes and I couldn't say no but I didn't buy much for myself. We both agreed on not thinking about money today." Kate's mother explained.

"I didn't think the day could be better but it did. Emily, we have so much to plan." Emma Dinozzo then said. Both mothers were ecstatic.

"Mom and Mrs Dinozzo we're not engaged. We aren't even officially together." Kate explained to them.

"Your relationship will last a lifetime and since we all know that I'm sure wedding bells aren't far away." Mrs Dinozzo told them.

"Mom, weren't you worried about me getting fired?" Kate asked her.

"Now I'm not." She quickly answered.

"Please don't act like this because of Tony's money…Anyway I had planned for us to stay at my place the last two days you're here." Kate explained to her mother.

"I like it here." Emily Todd protested.

"I want her here. What is she going to do all day tomorrow when you're at work? Why don't we just go and look at the clothes we bought for you." Mrs Dinozzo said. A few seconds later both mothers were packing up their bags to show what they bought today.

………..Friday the 9th of December……….

"Abby, what are we going to do? They've basically told everyone we're engaged." Kate asked her friend after explaining their problem to her.

"Don't make out if your parents may come soon." Abby answered.

"We found that out the hard way." Tony sighed.

"So explain to me what your relationship is like then maybe I can give you some advice." Abby told them. She was happy about them being together but how their mothers acted could destroy their relationship.

"We haven't had anytime to analyse it. It's just working." Kate replied while looking at Tony.

"Just as she said." Tony agreed.

"At least you're not getting married now." Abby told them. She was working on the other side of the table so she didn't see when Gibbs came in with coffee for Abby.

"You're together! My rule is important. Interrogation room now." Gibbs said angry. It had been a while since he had been so angry.

………….

All three left the room when McGee came to them.

"Murphy's secretary got shot with the gun the commander had in his room. She is still alive but in critical condition."

"McGee you can go and take Abby with you…Good thing two new agents will start in January. You two are in serious trouble." Gibbs told them before leaving McGee all alone.


	7. Chapter 7

…………..At NCIS…………..

"I can't explain how I feel now. I instated that rule because I know the effects not having a rule like this will have. I'm disappointed in you." Gibbs told them.

"We're sorry but we couldn't help it." Tony told him. He felt it was mostly his fault. He had started this and Kate couldn't help but to kiss him back. He was irresistible.

"You will get two days suspension. Over the weekend. One day for breaking the rule and one day for being stupid enough to break the rule. On Monday I've decided on what to do with you. I may reassign one of you. Firing you doesn't seem so likely but I don't know. Couples can't work together." Gibbs warned them.

"Reassign me." Kate told him.

"No. It should be me. She doesn't know what she is getting herself into. I can handle being reassigned better." Tony told Gibbs trying to convince him into choosing him.

"How can you say something like that? He should choose me and you can't handle it better!" Kate told Tony now facing him instead of Gibbs.

"Stop it. Now get back to work." Gibbs told them still quite mad. He left the room and Kate and Tony wanted to finish their argument but decided against it. It could be done at home because they didn't want more trouble with Gibbs.

…………….A few hours later………

"So what happened?" Abby asked them when they came back from the hospital.

"We got suspended over the weekend. One day for breaking the rule and one day for being stupid enough to break the rule. He will also make a final decision about us on Monday and most likely he will reassign one of us. We don't know where one of us will work then but maybe the navy needs some help somewhere." Kate told Abby and McGee.

"You shouldn't have to leave. I'll see what I can do. Gibbs listens to me sometimes." Abby said hoping it made them feel better.

"Thanks. I appreciate it but I don't think it will do that much. He has his mind made up." Kate continued.

"Thanks Abby. Maybe we should focus on work because I don't think Gibbs want to hear more about this." Tony told Abby. He was just happy that he and Kate had a good discussion about the recent development before Abby and McGee came back. It made them feel more at ease even if Gibbs decision made them worry.

"Where is he?" McGee asked noticing Gibbs wasn't there.

"Talking to someone higher up. I guess finding somewhere for one of us to work at." Tony stated.

"Don't be so negative. He probably just wanted to show you he is still the boss…Anyway guess who we met when we got our lunch." Abby told them.

"No idea. Who?" Tony asked them.

"Your mothers…They asked me if I was Abby because they had seen pictures of me in Kate's apartment. They had been there this morning. All they talked about was the wedding and how it would be perfect to have early in June." Abby explained to them.

"They didn't…We really need to talk to them tonight." Kate said in disbelief.

"What else did they say?" Tony asked them.

"How happy they were for you two and how great it was to meet their friends." McGee further explained.

"Sounds like them." Tony replied. He didn't think that would happen but with them anything could happen even their mothers meeting their friends

"We really need a talk with them. They can't set a date when we haven't even set a date." Kate said a bit upset at their mothers.

"So you are getting married?" McGee asked them.

"No…That came out wrong. Until you see a ring on this finger there will be no talk about a wedding." Kate assured them and Tony. They hadn't come so far in their relationship to make such a big decision if you could even call it a relationship yet. She hoped Tony felt the same.

"Good to hear because I want you all to go back to work. I think McGee and Abby can update us so we can all start to work." Gibbs told them. He had been listening for a while but since he is so good at sneaking up at people no one heard him come.

"Right on it boss." Tony told him. Then everyone went to their desks and lab.

…………..A little while later……..

Tony had told Kate to meet him up in an interrogation room.

"I want to ask you something." Tony said when Kate came in. He then bent down on one knee. Kate looked at him in disbelief. What had happened to him? He couldn't be so stupid to do what their mothers wanted them to do. She knew she had to say no. It was inevitable.

"Caitlin Todd, will you not marry me?" Anthony Dinozzo asked her.

"You fooled me…I can't believe you…You scared the hell out of me…Oh, Anthony…" Kate told him. She looked at him with a big smile.

"I'm not getting up until I get an answer." Tony told her.

"It's the most romantic thing you've ever done for me…yet…Of course…I mean I do…" Kate told Tony. He got up and kissed her.

"I should probably do this again since the reward is so great." Tony told her while holding her.

"One time is enough because next time I want it to be for real." Kate explained to him.

"So you want to marry me one day?" Tony asked her.

"I guess so." Kate answered.

Then they stood there thinking about what they just said. Nothing which came out of their mouths was planned. They just talked without thinking. Talking about true feelings. No one wanted to touch the touchy subject so they just left the room. Had they done what they thought they had done or hadn't they?

…………Saturday the 10th of December…….

"They're home…We have the house all for ourselves. What do you want to do?" Tony asked Kate after they had left their parents at the train station.

"Just be…Act normal and see if we have something real." Kate answered.

"So we're still not talking about yesterday?" Tony asked her. Yesterday was still bothering both of them even if the dinner had gone well. Their mothers had started to accept there would be no more wedding talk and that they wanted decide for themselves which pace this relationship was going in. Tony just hated how what he asked was still luring in the background. They both had talked about that but not the real subject.

"Do you want to destroy something we haven't even started on?" Kate asked him.

"You ask so difficult questions. Of course the answer is no. So follow me." Tony told her while leading her up the stairs while also holding her hand.

…………..Monday the 12th of December…….

"So you've made a decision?" Abby asked Gibbs.

"I have. It was a very difficult one to make." Gibbs answered.

"What is it?" Abby asked him.

"I'll tell them first then if they want I can share it with the rest of the team." Gibbs stated.


	8. Chapter 8

………….At NCIS…………..

"Tony, today you'll be Ducky's assistant. Kate will become Abby's assistant. If anything major happens then you can come back to the office. For the rest of the week you two will work with the statistics which needs to be completed this month. If I notice your relationship changes things around here one of you has to leave." Gibbs declared.

"Thank you." Kate told him.

"Yeah, thanks boss." Tony said to Gibbs.

"Now go. Your new bosses are waiting." Gibbs told them.

……….

Kate went to Abby.

"So what was his decision?" Abby asked Kate.

"Today I'm your assistant. Tony will be Ducky's assistant today. The rest of the week we're going to do paperwork." Kate explained.

"I'm glad he didn't fire or reassign you…I've always wanted an assistant." Abby told her.

"So what am I going to do?" Kate asked her.

"Do you mind doing some paperwork? I'm behind on that." Abby asked her.

"No. I'm here to help. Just still being at NCIS is enough no matter what I do." Kate told her happy.

………..

"Tony, what are you doing here?" Ducky asked him as he walked in.

"As my punishment I'm going to spend today with you. I'll be your assistant." Tony answered.

"Oh, yeah…I heard Gibbs wanted to punish you. I have this great story about when I was younger, I had just finished medical school and I did something wrong…" Ducky started. Tony knew he would have to be there the whole day and listen to many of Ducky's stories and he tried to be positive. At least he was still at NCIS.

………….Saturday the 17th of December………….

Kate and Tony were shopping last minute Christmas presents for their friends and family.

They slowly went down the street in the shopping mall. Tony saw a jewellery store and stopped outside the window.

"Tell me what you like? I want to know which taste in jewellery you have." Tony asked her.

"It's depends on what kind of jewellery it is. If this is for a present then I'll like whatever you give me."

"Women always say that." Tony told her.

"Let's get in and I'll show you." Kate told him. Tony smiled because he got her to do exactly what he wanted. Kate was a bit harder to trick than the other women he had dated but he loved the challenge. That was what he loved about her.

"So I like this necklace and this bracelet." Kate showed him.

"Don't forget the rings." Tony told her.

"Tony…" Kate said to him.

"I've just had the feeling you want to tell me something but you can't." Tony told her.

"I don't want to do what our mothers tell us to do. We're probably not ready." Kate replied.

"Maybe we both want to be ready. We haven't pressed the stop button. We have expressed our true feelings about everything else the past week except this." Tony told her.

"As incredible as it sounds like it doesn't seem stupid to get engaged with you." Kate told him. She had thought about the subject quite a lot lately.

"Exactly. I want to buy the rings now. We don't need to put them on but I want the uncertainty to go away. I hate living with it." Tony told her.

"I hate living with it too. I think we should follow your father's tradition and engrave the date in them. 12/9/05 but wait with putting them on until we now this will last. Let's just try to see if living together works." Kate told him.

"We want to buy some engagement rings and engrave them." Tony then told the sales clerk when it was their turn.

"Are you pregnant because I didn't think you could dump me one week and get engage with someone else the other?" Dan asked them.

"What are you doing here?" Kate asked surprised. Once again someone disturbed them in an important moment.

"Mind your own business." Tony told him.

"She was my business not so long ago. Do you know she dumped me while in bed with me? I don't think she is the marrying type." Dan told Tony.

"That's my decision to make not yours. You two are over." Tony said trying not to get mad.

"If she's pregnant then I want to make sure I'm not the father." Dan told them not believing they are in love because no one gets engaged that quickly.

"I'm not pregnant Dan. Just leave us alone."

"Let's hope so." Dan told Kate.

"Are you ready to choose rings?" the sales clerk wondered.

"We are." Kate told her ignoring Dan. Tony ignored him too.

……….At home……….

"I'm so sorry about Dan…Maybe he has some unresolved things. I'm sure he just got shocked and he will leave us alone. We were never serious. I only dated him for like two months." Kate explained to him.

"Longer than us…" Tony told her. His head had been filled with different thoughts since Dan reappeared in their lives.

"He's not competition. I'm sure you know all about competition since you've dated so many. I was never in to him and he's out of my life." Kate assured him. Tony thought about what she said. The competition he had before about women was in the past. He knew they had to have a talk about past relationships to be able to move on in this one.

"Ok. I understand. Just let's focus on other things." Tony told her. He knew that if Kate didn't care about Dan anymore this was only his problem. He had to deal with them possibly meeting Dan several times in the future since they live in the same city. Tony didn't like the guy but what could he do. As long as Kate was with him he knew he had no need to worry. Tony just felt he needed more time to be sure if Kate was the woman of his dreams.

Kate wanted Tony to gather his thoughts before she talked to him again. She knew he was jealous and both had still doubts about getting engaged so soon. The rings were bought but that was it. They hadn't decided on when they were going to put them on.

Kate and Tony then talked a bit more.

…………..An hour later……..

"Tony, why don't we go and visit your parents during New Year's since we have nothing better to do then?" Kate yelled from the living room. Tony had gone to the kitchen.

"I'm not sure." Tony yelled back.

"If you still want to go to Las Vegas it's ok!" Kate told him while picking up the things they had bought.

"I haven't decided yet. It's hard getting friends to come and I don't think Las Vegas is suitable for us…Maybe Boston…"Tony told her.

"I don't want you to do that for my sake. If you don't want to go to Las Vegas maybe we can do both Boston and Baltimore." Kate suggested.

"I have to think about it." Tony said while coming out from the kitchen. He had two glasses of juice in his hands.

"Thank you." Kate said when she saw her drink.

"I'm just wondering which message we're sending if we go visit them." Tony wondered.

"You'll decide." Kate told him.

"It'll be easier to decide if I know what you want." Tony continued.

"If we can't agree then we should visit both cities. We just have to deal with things as they come. Things will get a lot harder than today but we can deal if we want to." Kate told him wanting to know if he wanted to cope with her. Maybe it was too soon to ask this but she wanted to know before both got more invested in this relationship. Somehow they had semi-got engaged.

"We can take it one day at a time." Tony answered. It was the easiest way to answer her. He didn't want to argue with her while he tried to sort out his feelings. He loved picking out rings but he was scared about the future.

"Tony, what are you really thinking about?" Kate asked while looking at him. She saw the look in his eyes. He had so much more to say.

"Doesn't it feel scary when you want to face all the scary things with one person? Fearing if she is the right one to share everything with?" Tony asked before stopping. He felt he might have pushed her too hard by asking these questions. With Dan and picking out rings it might have been too early to ask her this. He wasn't a person who shared deep feelings with someone but he felt eager to do so with Kate. Everything with Kate felt scary and wonderful at the same time. He had tried having long relationships before but since he started at NCIS it had only been apart of his past. Now it was apart of his present and future and he wondered how he could be so sure about it being his present and future. He had so many questions which had already got answered but he didn't know how they got answered. Did they just get answered by Kate just being there?

"Fear of thinking that the guy you really love is the guy you think he is? Is he capable of having a long lasting relationship? Does he want to put so much effort in it as I want? Questions like that?" Kate told him.

"We do have a lot of questions don't we?" Tony asked her.

"I think we do. It's normal. Just tell me if you want to find out the answers with me. If you think us living together as we've done the past days without even slightly thinking about the consequences is a too big of a decision for you then so be it. Well I understand. Have you ever lived with a woman? Even considered being married to someone you've dated?" Kate asked him.

"I did once…Her name was Taylor Grace Monroe…First I thought she looked great and then I found out what her name was. I thought it was destiny. I was 22 and madly in love. So was she. We dated for two years and had lived together for three months when she one day told me she had different plans for her life and I wasn't included in them. I was devastated. I took it hard. Mom didn't recognise me when she came and visited me a few weeks after the break up. She has blamed herself for not telling me the right words back then because she thinks I didn't really come over it. I did come over Taylor. I did it a few months later. I dated and then I found another great woman to date but I ended the relationship when I felt we weren't headed the same way. She wanted to get married and I didn't. Right then I didn't want to commit. It's just scary how much better I feel about you than I did with them at the same stage in the relationship. Maybe it is life experience talking but that is how I feel. Most of all I just feel I can't put a ring on your finger right now. I will be ready but not just now." Tony explained to her. He felt he had said too little but he didn't just want to ramble without Kate understanding what he meant in the end.

"I can wait. Don't doubt that. I can wait a few years. I love you." Kate said to him while putting down her drink. Tony put down his too.

"Kate. I love you too." Tony said before kissing her.

…………….January the 1st 2006…………..

"Mom…Here is the woman I love the most. I know it took a long time but here she is. The woman I'll probably spend the rest of my life with." Tony said while looking at her grave. Kate held him tightly because she knew it was difficult for him. Even when Tony had been in the hospital he had never looked at vulnerable as now.

"Hi Mrs Dinozzo." Kate said to her.

"We went to Boston and met Kate's family and now we're here. I wanted you to meet her. She has seen so many pictures and videos of you. I think you would have loved her. I do." Tony continued. It was cold but they didn't care.

"Are you ok?" Kate asked after a while. She saw him stand there and just looking. He couldn't bare putting down the flowers he had bought for her.

"She's dead…Every important moment in my life she has been dead. Even now." Tony said while a few tears ran down his eyes.

"She will always be in your heart. If I die I'll always be in your heart. You'll always be in my heart if you die. I think Grace is very proud of you. I am. You're strong for being here." Kate told him while drying off his tears. Tony put down the flowers. They stood there for a little while longer. Then they slowly left the cemetery.

"I think we can go home now. You're the first girlfriend I brought to see her. You handled it so well." Tony said as they neared the car.

"I hope I did. When you cried I cried. It was a lot harder than I thought it would be. It must have been so hard for you when you were little." Kate told him.

"It was…It felt liberating just going now and I'm glad you came with me. Thank you." Tony told her while opening the door for her.

…………..14th of April 2006………

"So two days until your birthday! Are you prepared?" Abby asked her.

"You've asked me that every day now. I know everyone in the whole world thinks he will propose to me then but I don't know. It wasn't long ago he told me he wasn't ready. This is just going so well and I don't want him to feel pressured." Kate told her.

"Call me as soon as he does even if it'll be next year." Abby told her.

"I will." Kate told her. They hugged and Kate was ready to go home with Tony. It had been a long day at work and she was so tired. She needed to rest because she was sure Tony had planned something big for her birthday. She knew he had reserved a table at a restaurant.

……………At home…………

Tony opened the door. When Kate went in she got so surprised. The living room didn't look like this when they went to work this morning. Someone had made it look so wonderful that she couldn't describe it. She was so shocked and happy.

"How did you do this?" Kate asked him.

"I hired some people and they did this." Tony answered as one waiter appeared.

"Oh my…A waiter and a set table." Kate said stunned.

"You deserve it. So sit down and do nothing." Tony told her.

When she sat down Tony went up to her and bent down on one knee.

"Caitlin Todd, will you marry me?" Anthony Dinozzo asked.

"I do." Kate said being so shocked. She hadn't expected this.

Tony put on her ring and then his. Tears ran down both of their faces.

"I love you so much." Kate told him while kissing him.

"I love you too." Tony then said.

"I promised to call Abby, mom and your mom when you proposed." Kate said very happy.

"Then call because I want us to enjoy our dinner without you thinking about them." Tony told her.

……………

Two days later Kate got surprised again. Tony had arranged a surprise birthday party at the restaurant. Everyone was there and the couple was so happy.

…………………………………………………………………………………

Tomorrow I'm going to get my computer fixed so I don't know if I can continue this story. If it'll get fixed tomorrow or later in the week I'll probably continue. I just didn't want to leave without giving you a good ending.


End file.
